11alpha-hydroxy-16, 17 oxido-progesterone and esters thereof



United States Patent Oflice more particularly concernedwith the novel llor-hydroxy- 16,17-oxidoprogesterone and esters thereof.

The-novel compounds of. the present inventionmay be represented by the following structural formula:

wherein R is selected from hydrogen and an acyl radical,

especially an acyl radical of a hydrocarbon carboxylic acid, or of a toluene-sulfonicacid, andpreferably con taining up to' eight carbon atoms, inclusive;

' As d'escribed'in the application of which this is" a continuation-in-part, Serial Number 297,242, filed- July 5,

1952, now Patent No; 2,735,800 issued February 21, 1956, which is a continuation-in-part of application Serial Number 272,944, filed February 23, 1952, now" Patent No; 2,602,769, issued July 8, 1952', and applicationSerial Number 180,496, filed-August 1-9, 1950, now abandoned, the novel ll u-hydroxy compounds of the present invention may be prepared from l6,l'7-oxidoprogesterone by the oxygenating action of a culturegof fungus of the order Mucorales, whereafter the resulting oxygenated products may be esterified.

It is an object ofthis invention to provide thenovel 11a-hydroxy-lfi,1.7-oxidoprogesterone and esters thereof. Other objects will be apparent to those skilledin the art to which this invention pertains.

The compounds of the presentiiivention, l1a-hydroxy- 16,17-oxidoprogesterone andesters thereof, are; readily crystallizable solids which possess valuable pharmacol'ogic'al' and physiological activity. They are also important intermediates inthe production of li -oxygenated adrenocortical "hormones. For exarrtplq cortisone'a'cetate is prepared by reducing 1la-hydroxy-l6;lT-oxido Chem. Soc. 71, 756 (1949)] is oxidized; by contactingiit with a fungus of the family Mucoraceae, preferably ofwash with water, and thereafter purify by a conventional the genusRhiz opus' and especially the: species Rhi'zapus nigricans. The resulting ll'd-hydroxy-l6,1T-oxidopro gesterone is" then separated by extraction or chromatography; Esterification. may be accomplishedv by admixing 11ot-hydroxy-'1 6,'17'- oxid'oproges terone with an acylati'ng agent suchas, for example, ketene, a ketene of a selected" acid, an acid, acid chloride. or acid anhydride, or other known acylating agent, usually in a solvent such as, for example, pyridine or the like, or an inert solvent, including solvents such as benzen e, toluene, ether, and

the'like, and heating or allowing to stand at a tempera ture' between abou't ze-ro degrees centigrade and the boil ing point of'the reaction mixture, usually about room temperature (25 to thirty degrees centigrade), for 1a periodbetween aboutone-half hour and about 96'hours.

The time of reaction as well 'as the temperatureatwhich the reactionis, carried out, the acylating agent, and the. ratio ofreactants may be varied, The reaction mixture.

is suitably poured into ice or cold water and the product 1 is recovered in an appropriatesolvent which is thereafter washed with successive portions of a mildly basic. sdlu'-' tion and water to obtain a solution of the product. which is essenti'allyneutral. u v v In some instances, the product. may crystallize, from the reaction mixture, in which case it may be advantageous to separate the product by filtration or other means,

procedure, such as, for example, by recrystallization from a suitable solvent or by chromatographic purification, as deemed. necessary.

'Ihe acylating agents employed in the esterification of l la-hydroxy-l 6 -l'7-oxidoprogesterone include: acid, the anhydrides or acyl halides; of acetic, propionita, ocand fi-cyclopentylpropionic, butyric, isobutyric, Valerie,

isovaleric, hexanoic, hept-anoic, octanoic, benzoic, phenyl acetic, toluic, mandelic, salicylic, gallic, ani'sic, ch1or.o-: acetic, dichloroacet-ic, 'trichloroacetic; trimethylacetiq:

bromoacetic, thiogl'ycollic, v'inylacetic, lactic, succinic, maleic, mor p-toluenesulfonic acid, tartaricacids-and other like acids, especially those containing less. thanv nine carbon atoms. The acid anhydrides-or-acyl halides" used may also have substituents which are. unreactive under the conditions of reaction; such as chloro, bromo,

iodo atoms or methoxy, ethoxy, hydroxy, vinyl or thio groups.

The following examples. are illustrative of the process and products of the present invention", but are not to be construed as limiting.

EXAMPLE 1 H a-hydr0xy-16,'1 7-0xidopr0gesterone A medium was prepared of twenty grams of Edamine enzymatic: digest of lactalbumin, three grams of corn steep liquor andfifty grams of technical dextrose di-'-" luted to one'liter with tap Water and adjusted to' a pH' ,of 4.3 10 45.. Three liters of this sterilized medium was inoculated with: Rh izopus nigri'cans minus strain, Ameri-' can Type; Culture;- (Iollection, Number- 6227b, and in cuhated for 24' hours at a. temperature of 28 degrees centigracle using arate of aeration and stirr ng such that the oxygen uptake was 6.3 to 7 mil'limolesper hourper' After an additional 24-hour period of incubation under the sameconditions of temperature and; aeration, the beer and mycelium, were extracted, The-myceliumwas filtered;

washed twice, each time. with a volume; of acetoneiap proximately equal to the volume of the mycelium and ex- P-atented Jan. 5, 1960 formic tracted twice, each time with a volume of methylene chloride approximately equal to the volume of the mycelium. The acetone and methylene chloride extracts including solvent were added to the beer filtrate. The mixed extracts-and beer filtrate were extracted successively with two oneahalf by volume portions of methylene chloride and then with two one-fourth by volume portions of methylene chloride. The combined methylene chloride extracts were washed with two one-tenth by volume portions of a two percent aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate and then with two one-tenth by volume portions of water. After drying the methylenechloride with about three to five grams of anhydrous sodium sulfate per literof solvent and filtering, the solvent was removed by distillation. The extractives obtained upon evaporation of'the methylene'chloride solvent weighed" 2.5492 grams.

Partial 'decolorization of the crude extractives was eflfected by dissolving them with 35 milliliters of methylene chloride, adding three grams of Magnesol synthetic magnesium silicate and filtering. Upon evaporation ofjthe solvent, the residue was taken up in an excess of acetone, mixed with 0.2 gram of Celite No. 545 diatomaceons earth,vfiltered, and evaporated to dryness. A total of 3.23 grams of solids were thus obtained which were dissolved in 100 milliliters of benzene and chromatographed over fifty gramsof alumina. ,The following 100-milliliter fractions of eluates were taken:

TABLE I Eluate Solids, Milligrams Fraction Solvent ban one -do benzene-ether 19: 1

benzenaether 9:1

benzene-ether 1:1

ethcr-CHCI 19:1- do ether-(EH01; 9:1.

ether-CHO]; 1:l do

CHCL -,acetone 19:1 acetone methanol EXAMPLE 2 1Ia-hydrwty-I6,17-0xidopr0gester0ne A medium was preparedof 0.5 grain of soy flour, two

grams of dextrose, and 0.5 gram each of debittered' brewers .yeast extract, sodium chloride, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate dilutedwith tap water to 100' milliliters and adjusted with hydrochloric acid to apH of-'4.5. This serilized medium was inoculated with spores of Rhizopus 'reflexus ATCC. 1225 from a malt agar slant, and incubated for 24 hours at a temperature of 28 degrees centigrade using agitation and aeration corresponding to an oxygen uptake of eight millirnoles per hour per liter of Na SO according to Cooper, Femstrom and Miller, Ind. Eng. Chem. 36, 504 (1944). To this medium, containing a 24-hour growth of Rhizopus reflexus, was added twenty milligrams of 16,17-oxidoprogesterone dissolved in one milliliter of acetone to produce a suspension of the steroid in the culture. After an additional 24-hour period of incubation under the same conditions of temperature and aeration, the beer and mycelium were extracted as in Example 1. The

. concentrated extract was subjected to separation by paper chromatography using a propylene glycol-toluene system to yield 1la-hydroxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone.

EXAMPLE 2A 11 ot-hydr0xy-16J 7-0xid0pr0gester0ne Ot'nerwise as in Example 2, similar results were produced'by fermentation of Rhizopus reflexus in a medium consisting of two grams of corn steep liquor, two grams of dextrin, 0.10 gram of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.2 gram of sodium nitrate, 0.5 gram of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, 0.02 gram of potassium chloride, 0.001 gram of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, and 0.25 gram sodium acetate diluted with tap water to 100 milliliters and adjusted with concentrated sodium hydroxide to a pH of 7.0.

EXAMPLE-3 11 a-acet0xy-16,1 7-0xidopr 0gester0ne To 94 milligrams of 1lot-hydroxy-l,l7-oxidoprogesterone dissolved in two milliliters of barium oxide-dried pyridine was added one milliliter of redistilled acetic anhydride and the reaction mixture maintained at room temperature for sixteen hours. The reaction mixture was then diluted to eighty milliliters with ice water and thereafter placed in a refrigerator for 24 hours. The thusproduced crystalline precipitate of 11a-acetoxy-16,17- oxidoprogesterone was filtered, washed with four onemilliliter portions of ice water and thereafter dried in vacuum at sixty degrees centigrade. The dry product was repeatedly recrystallized from ethyl acetate to yield 19.7 milligrams of 11a-acetoxy-16,l7-oxidoprogesterone of melting point 225 to 226 degrees centigrade.

, Analysis.-Percent calculated for C H O C, 71.48; H, 7.82. Found: C, 71.41; H, 7.72.

EXAMPLE 4 11 u-formyloxy-l 6,1 7 -oxidoprogester0ne 1la-formyloxy-l6,1'7-oxidoprogesterone is prepared by reacting 11a-hydroxy-16,l7-oxidoprogesterone with an excess of formic acid during a period of twelve hours at room temperature.

7 EXAMPLE 5 1 1a-pr0pi0n0xy-1 6,1 7-oxidopr0gesterone In the same manner as in Example 3, lla-propionoxy- 16,17-oxidoprogesterone is prepared by reacting Ila-hydroxy-16,l7-oxidoprogesterone with propionic anhydride in pyridine.

Y EXAMPLE 6 I1 u-butyroxy-16J 7-0xid0progester0ne In the same manner as in Example 3, 11a-butyroxy-16, 17-ox1doprogesterone is prepared by reacting Ila-hydroxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone with butyric anhydride in pyridine.

7 EXAMPLE 7 1'1 8-cyclopentyl') -pr0pion0xy-16,17-0xidoprogesterone In. the .same manner as in Example 3, lle-(pv-eyclopent yI) -propionoxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone is by. reacting 11whydroxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone cyclopropionyl chloride in pyridine.

EXAMPLE 8 11 a-benz0yloxy-16J 7-oxidoprogesterone In the same manner as in Example 3, lla-benzoyloxy- 16,17-oxidoprogesterone is prepared by reacting Ila-hydroxy-l6,17-oxidoprogestcrone with benzoyl chloride in pyridine.

In the manner of Examples 3 through 8, by treating 1la-hydroxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone with organic acids, anhydrides, ketenes of organic acids, or acyl halides, the corresponding Ila-esters are obtained, such as, for example: 11a-valeroxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone, llu-isovaleroxy-16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 11a hexanoyloxy 16,17- oxidoprogesterone, 11a heptanoyloxy 16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 11a octanoyloxy 16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 1la-trimethylacetoxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11aglycollyloxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11a vinylacetoxy- 16,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11a-chloroacetoxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11a-dichloroacetoxy-16,l7 oxidoprogesterone, 1la-trichloroacetoxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11abromoacetoxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone, lla-thioglycollylwry-16,17 oxidoprogesterone, llu succinyloxy 16,17- oxidoprogesterone, 11a-malyloxy-16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 1la-tartaryloxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone, llu-gallyloxy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone, 11a-anisyloxy-16,l7-oxidoprogesterone, 11a-salicylyloxy-16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 1la-toluyloxy-l6,17-oxidoprogesterone, 1 la-phenylacetyloxy 16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 11a benzoyloxy 16,17- oxidoprogesterone, 11a mandelyloxy 16,17 oxidoprogesterone, 11a-lactyloXy-16,17-oxidoprogesterone, 110:- (mor p-toluenesulfonoxy) 16,17 oxidoprogesterones, and the like.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact details or exact compounds shown and described as obvious modifications and equivalents 6 will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 1. An 11-oxygenated-16,17-oxidoprogesterone represented by the structural formula:

CH: J =o --0 R0 OH I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Julian Dec. 15, 1953 Julian Aug. 10, 1954 

1. AN 11-OXYGENATED-16,17-OXIDOPROGESTERONE REPRESENTED BY THE STRUCTURAL FORMULA: 